Combined mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



Nd.853,472. I I PATBNTED MAY 14, 1907. G. E. PERKINS.

COMBINED MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DBLIVE RER.

' APILIOATIOK FILED Juno, 190a.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

eEoEeE EDWIN PERKINs, or IATKINSCIITTILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR or ONE- FOURTH TO OSCAR n. MALONEY AND ONE-FOURTH TO PAUL n. RANSOM, OF ATKINSON, ILLINOIS, AND ONE-FOURTH TO ARTHUR BURRALL, or

ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14:, 1907.

Application filed July 30, 1906. Serial 3 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE EDWIN PER- KINs, a-citizen of the United States, residing at Atkinson, in the county of Henry and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Mail-Bag Catcher and Deliverer; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part 1 5 of this specification.

My invention relates to combined mail bag catchers and delivere'rs, and has for its purpose to so construct and arrange the parts that there may be an exchange of mail bags between a moving train and a station with certainty and without danger to person or property and with the minimum of strain and wear on the exchanging devices and the parts to which they are at 2 5 tached; also to provide longer life to the parts and without breakage or liability to get out of working condition, and in which the parts will be simple of construction, and easy of application, and also in which the parts of 0 the device attached to the car can be readily transferred or exchanged in position according to the direction in which the train is running; also to provide for delivering the mail sacks while resting upon the floor of the car, if it be so desired, without the necessity of actual suspension of the sacks from the delivery arm.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the features and in the arrangement of parts hereinafter described and then sought to be clearly de fined. bythc claims, reference being had. to the accompanying drawings forming a part a, 5 l'iereof, and in which l igure 1 is a side elevation of the station and. car catching and delivery J'nechan'ism;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a front view looking at the car door; Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the delivery hook; Fig.

5 is a plan sectional view of same; and Fig. 6 is a side view of a modified form of hook.

The numeral 1 designates the doorway of a mail car to the sides of which are secured the brackets 2 designed to receive the cross rod or bar 3 which is provided at each end with a gravity pin 4 which normally will stand at right angles to the bar so as to prevent the bar from slipping out of the brackets, which pins when turned parallel with the rod will permit the rod to be moved longitudinally to remove it from the brackets for the purpose of reversing the position of the mail bag catcher fork. Upon this rod slides the mail catcher arm 5 having the fork 6 to receive the mail bag cable 7, and has the spring influenced catches 8 to prevent the cable from accidentallyleaving the fork when received between its prongs. The fork fits in a slot 9 formed at the end of the arm and is held therein by a bolt or'pin 10 so as to permit it to have a slight lateral play to accommodate it to any variations in the position of the bag suspending cable and to permit it to move slightly when it receives the cable.

The arm 5 has a sleeve 14 which encircles the rod 3 and is provided on opposite sides with antifriction rollers 15, one adjacent to each end, so as to enable the'sleeve and its arm to slide freely on the rod as against the tendency of the sleeve to bind on the rod by reason of the force and direction of the im pact given when the suspending cable of the bag deliverer at the station is grasped by the 8 5 catcher on the ear. The sleeve 14.- has a handle 16 by which it may be turned to bring the catcher to a horizontal or projected posi tion, and for holding it in that position it is provided. with a lug 17 which will fit in a socket 18, with which each of the brackets 2 is formed, when the fork is shifted to its re ceiving position. A spring 19 is placed around the rod 3 at one side of the doorway so that the catcher fork will be cushioned when it is moved to that side after catching the bag. When moved. from its projected position. the catcher arm and fork drop to a position to bring the bag within the car door.

The reeeivin fork is rovided with a windguard which is slidable througl'i the head of the bolt which secures the fork to its arm. This w.ind.guard has at one end a spring hook 21 which. when the windguard is not in use fits around. the sleeve 14 so that the windguard will lie in its non-active position. When the receiving fork and the delivery arm are in their active positions, the wind guard is projected. outwardly so as to lie in the plane of the suspended mail bag and serve to prevent the swaying of the mail-bag so that its cable will remain in position. to be caught by the receiving fork of the station crane.

The delivery arm is designated by the numeral 22 which has a sleeve 23 fitting around a rod or post 24 whose lower end is angular in cross section and fits in one of two sockets 25 secured to opposite sides of the door frame and is formed with a shoulder 26 upon which the sleeve of the delivery arm will rest, said shoulder and the meeting face of the sleeve being formed one with a notch or recess 27 and the other with a lug 28 to engage each other for the purpose of holding the arm in its projected position when positioned to have a mail bag delivered therefrom. The upper portion of the rod or post 24 passes through a keeper 29 which aids in securely holding it in an upright position. The rod or post is encircled by a spring 30 the lower end. of which bears against the sleeve 23 of the delivery arm and its upper end against a collar or nut 31 which is adjustable by turning it on a screw threaded portion 32 of the rod or post so as to regulate the tension of the spring. This tension regulator is for the purpose of enabling the delivery arm to resist the tendency of being accidentally swung from position by any extraordinary force of wind currents. The spring also serves to permit a sufficient vertical movement of the delivery arm to disengage its locking means when the mail bag cable is grasped and pulled by the station catcher crane so that the delivery arm may swing in toward the car door. When the arm is moved to a positi on parallel with the door it will be held or locked in that position by the lug 28 engaging the notoh 3S suitably positioned for the purpose. The socket and keeper for the delivery arm post permit the post and arm to be readily detached so as to transfer them to the corresponding socket and keeper at the other side of the doorway when the car is running in the other direction.

The delivery arm 22 carries at its end. a suitable hook for holding the cable by which the mail bag is suspended. In one form this hook consists of the two jaws 34 which are spread apart by a suitable spring, which may be a sailed spring 35 interposed bet-ween the jaws, one of said jaws being pivotally secured by a bolt 36 so as to have a slight movement.

One jaw is formed with. a depression 37 and. the other with a shoulder 38 to receive a ring 39 on the end of the suspension cable. .l."ho jaws are pressed one toward the other in putting on the ring, and the spring keeps the jaws opened or distended so as to firmly clamp the ring from the inside. This forms a very secure hold. on the ring and. prevents the same from pulling oil except under an oblique pull on the ring which is given from the cable when the latter is caught and pulled. by the bag catcher or receiving hook. When thus pulled the ring will turn slightly and press on the aws so as to compress them and allow the ring and its cable to be pulled from the hook. Instead of such form of hook, the form illustrated in Fig. 6 may be used in. which the jaws 40 will be rigid and. have an open mouth 41 with an eye 42 back of the same so that a knot formed on the end of the cable, instead. of a ring, will bear against the side of the eye so as to sustain the cable and its bag and yet permit the cable to be easily withdrawn through the open mouth of the hook. The shank of the hook is pivoted to the slotted end of the arm by bolt 11 so as to have a slight lateral play which is restricted by its sides coming against the shoulders 12 of the slot in which it is pivoted, and a spring 13 may be provided. to cushion the jaw and hold it in its normal position.

The station crane consists of an arm 43 extending laterally from a revoluble post 44 supported upon a base 45, the meeting faces of the post and base being formed one with recesses 46 and the other with lugs 47 which serve to hold the revoluble post at the positions to which it may be turned as the over hanging arm may extend in the direction of the track, or otherwise. The overhanging arm 43 carries at its outer end a double catching or receiving fork 48 pivotally connected with the arm so as to have a slight lateral play and provided with a spring 49 similar to that shown in my patent No. 614756 of November 22, 1898 and for the same purpose. It also carries at its end a delivery hook similar to that described for the delivery arm of the car. The hook and fork of the overhanging arm are attached to the end of a rod 50 which is sliclable in the overhanging arm and is under the influence of a spring 51 which cushions the hook and the fork by al lowing the rod a slight longitudinal move ment when. the ha is caught from the car hook and the other bag is delivered to the car fork, thus preventing any undue strain on the parts and permitting the easier catching and delivery of the bags. From the lower portion of the revoluble 0st there extends an arm 52 provided wit a handle 53 by which the post may be turned so as to bring its overhanging arm in the direction of the track. From the upper portion of the base or otherwise rigidly secured to the bracket the sacks from the delivery arm of the car,

pressed. An automatic lock is thus formed construction and application of the catching and delivery devices on the car door frame is also such that either or both of said devices may be set for action and the door closed without interference of one with the other.

45 extends a'bracket 54- which supports a bumper conslsting of a rod or bolt 55 bolted and extending on opposite sides thereof and l which is encircled by springs 56 against 1 which bear the caps 57 which are slidable on I Having described my invention and set the rod or bolt. To the ends of extensions l forth its merits,"what I claim is 58 projecting from the bracket are pivoted 1. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, an gravity latches 59, which in the form shown arm carrying a catcher-fork, a rod extending consist of the depending-weighted arms 60 across a car doorway for carrying said arm, having inclined ends 61. When the post is keepers for said rod to fit in, and pivoted swung around the arm 52 strikes the bumper catches attached to the ends of said rod and cap which is moved against the cushioning adapted to extend at an angle to the rod to spring, and at the same time an incline 62 on prevent its displacement from the kee ers the lower face or edge of the arm 52 presses and to be moved parallel with the rod w en against the inclined end of the gravity latch the rod is to be withdrawn, substantially as and passes over the same. The inclined end described. I

then bears against the outer side of the arm 2. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a and locks the same in place so as to hold the supporting rod extending across a car doorbag carryin arm in a position extending way, and an arm carrying a catcher-fork and away from t e tracks. The pressure of the formed with a sleeve slidable on said rod, bumper spring against the arm 52 presses the said sleeve having anti-friction rolls adjacent lower end of the latch inwardly toward the to its ends and located to bearon opposite bracket and it strikes against a part of the sides of the supporting rod, substantially as bracket so as to limit its movement. The described.

action is the same in whichever direction the 3. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a

revoluble post is turned. An opening 63 is catcher-fork arm sustained from asupport 011 formed in the arm 52 to receive the end of the a car, and a slidable wind-guard carried by bumping bolt or rod when the spring is comsaid fork and adapted-to be projected and retracted, substantially as described.

when it is turned from 4. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a delivery-arm post attached to a car, and a delivery arm formed with a sleeve rotatably mounted on said post, said sleeve and post being formed with interlocking devices for securing the arm in position and adapted to for the revoluble post the impact and momentum arising from the engagement of the catching and delivering devices, and the spring bumper serves to cushion the post in arresting its rotation.

It will be observed that the catcher and de livery arms on the'car are so located that the be disengaged as the bag is snatched from the lower portion of the doorway is left entirely arm so that the arm may swing to its inacunobstructed. This enables the mail sacks tive position, substantially as described. in the car to rest on the car floor in front of 5. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a the door, if so desired, and by using a cable laterallyswinging delivery arm supported on of suflicient length to reach from the sacks on a car, and means for regulating resistance the floor to the hook of the car delivery arm, offered by said arm against lateral movethe sacks will be pulled out of the car door ment, substantially as described. when the cable is grasped by the catching 6. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a fork of the station crane. In this operation delivery arm post attached to a car, a lateras thecatching fork on the station crane ally swinging delivery arm rotatably mountpulls on the cable which connects the sacks ed on said post, and means for regulating reon the car floor with the hook of the car desistance to be oflered by said arm against livering arm it draws the delivering arm to lateral movement, substantially as described. ward the car door at the same time that the 7. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a station catching arm is moving away from delivery-arm post attached to a car, a laterthe car, with the result that at the same time that the cable is drawn out of the delivery arm hook the sacks are pulled out of the door and swung by the station crane to one side away from the car, and without the sacks being caught and held or pulled by the sides the door frame, and withoutstrain on the car door delivery arm which is moved toward the door instead of away from it. This avoids the necessity of actually suspending ed on said post, a spring acting on a part of said arm to offer resistance to lateral movement of the arm, and means for re ulating the tension of said spring, substantially as described.

8. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a delivery-arm post formed with an angular portion fitting in a correspondingly shaped socket attached to a car, a portion of said post being threaded, a delivery-arm having a sleeve rotatably mounted on said post, a

although that may be done if preferred. The I ally swinging delivery arm rotatably mount- IIO spring encircling the'post at one end of said sleeve, and a threaded nut or collar fitting to the threaded portion of the post to regulate the tension of said spring, substantially as described.

9. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a delivery arm provided'with a cable suspension-hook connected to the arm to have a limited lateral movement relatively thereto, said hook having a slotted end fitting within said arm, a bolt passing through said slot and supported by the arm, and a spring bearing against opposite sides of the hook for holding said hook in its normal position, substantially as described.

10. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a delivery arm provided with a cable suspension-hook having jaws one movable relatively to the other, and a spring to hold the jaws normally spread apart, substantially as described.

11. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a delivery arm provided with'a cable suspension-hook having jaws one movable relatively to the other, one of said jaws being formed with a depression on its outer face and the other with a shoulder, and a spring to hold the jaws normally spread apart, substantially as described.

12; In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a crane comprising a base, a rotatable post thereon having an overhanging arm provided with mail bag catching and delivering devices, and an elastic bumper, against which a part of the rotatable post strikes for cushioning the post in its rotation, substantially as described.

13. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a crane comprising a base, a rotatable post thereon having an overhanging arm carrying mail bag catching and delivering devices, and an automatically acting lock for holding the in their withdrawn position,

post and its arm in position with the arm removed from its receiving and delivering po sition in either direction of rotation of the post, substantially as described.

14. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a crane comprising a base, a rotatable post having an overhanging arm carrying mail bag catching and delivering devices, an arm extending from the lower portion of the post, and a gravity catch to engage a part of said arm to hold the post with its arm in its withdrawn position, as described. I

15. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a crane comprising a base, a rotatable post having an overhanging arm carrying mail bag removing and delivering devices, an arm extending from the lower portion of the post, a cushioned bumper for said extended arm to strike against, and a catch for engaging said arm to hold the post and its overhangin arm substantia ly as substantially described.

16. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, a crane comprising a base, a rotatable post having an overhanging arm carrying mail bag receiving and delivering devices, an arm extending from the lower portion of the post, a bracket supported by the base, a spring bumper supported by said bracket, and a ravity catch for engagin the arm extending mm the post when it stri es the bumper and holding said post and its overhanging arm in their withdrawn position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE EDWIN PERKINS.

Witnesses:

W. G. HENDERSON, CHAs. S. HYER.

overhanging 

